BERLIN, July 6, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Germany sees "no place on the pitch" for politics, the junior minister for sport told AFP Monday, after US President Donald Trump pushed FIFA to reverse US star Folarin Balogun's World Cup suspension.

"Refereeing decisions are a matter for sport. Politics has no place on the pitch," State Minister for Sport Christiane Schenderlein told AFP in a statement. "The German government respects the autonomy of sport."